The Los Angeles Lakers have entered a critical stretch of the season, down a half-game to the Utah Jazz and in need of a near-perfect finish.

As they have for more than a decade, the Lakers have turned to Kobe Bryant, 34, in this crucial portion of the playoff push. Dependence upon Bryant pushed into overdrive, though, to the point where he showed fatigue in games.

Los Angeles finished 3-1 in its past four games to keep pace with the Jazz. In those games, Bryant averaged 46 minutes, playing at least 47 three times.

"We're playing a little bit with fire," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said of Bryant's minutes, according to ESPNLosAngeles.com. "We wouldn't like to but we put ourselves in the position we have to.

"We're short-handed right now and we're playing it very tight. Normally this wouldn't happen but we put ourselves in a hole and Kobe is our best bet going forward to win games. He said he's going to retire after a year so we're going to get our money's worth for two years. I don't know what to tell you."

The number say more than enough. Bryant sat only 40 seconds in the Lakers' 109-95 loss to the Clippers at Staples Center. Because there was separation late, D'Antoni had an opportunity to sit Bryant. That didn't happen. It fits a trend that has led to Bryant playing 185 of the Lakers' past 192 minutes.

Bryant's shooting numbers have dipped significantly, a sign of tired legs. He has shot just 29-of-78 in four big-minute games, 37.2 percent from the field. And the numbers get worse as he steps out, as was indicated by Bryant's struggles from 3-point range. He has hit only one of his last 21 attempts from beyond the arc.

"If he says he feels great and his legs aren't bothering him then I have to take his word for it," D'Antoni said. "If he says 'I'm tired but I want to play through it,' then that's different. But he says he feels great."

Bryant said his minutes are a non-issue.

"I feel fine. I get plenty of rest, so I feel fine," Bryant said. "After the last game, I was pretty tired. But I was able to get plenty of rest from the last game until now."

Reinforcements could be on the way. Metta World Peace, less than two weeks removed from surgery, could return from a meniscus tear in his left knee.

Los Angeles (40-37) needs to win each of its final five games. The Jazz (41-37) hold the tiebreaker, so the Lakers must finish with a better record. It's not inconceivable for the Lakers to run the table, but it's highly unlikely they'll come out unscathed. The Lakers have New Orleans, Portland, Golden State, San Antonio and Houston to close the season.

"The bottom line, we need to win five straight," D'Antoni said. "We've got ourselves to where we need to win five in a row and we get in the playoffs and that's what we want to do."